Hon. Dr. Okoe Vanderpuije
Honourable Dr. Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, Mayor of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), has called for strong leadership in achieving sustainable waste management, a constitutional reform to enable efficient calculation and collection of property and waste rates, as well as an awareness creation of shared responsibility as means to address environmental and waste challenges facing the country.
He made these remarks at the 4th College of Basic and Applied Science Public Lecture Series on the topic, “Sustainable Environmental Management and Improved Sanitation: A Shared Responsibility” in which he explained the roles of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in harnessing modernized ways to deal with the country’s enormous waste problem.
Hon. Dr. Okoe Vanderpuije in his presentation noted that the issue of sustainable environmental management is a shared responsibility of all, including stakeholders such as the private sector, civil society, development partners, academia, media and particularly the households. He indicated that the capital city, Accra, which is inhabited by about 4 million people and a transient population of 1 million, generates a total of 3000 tons of waste daily. Out of this, the AMA collects 2500 tons daily leaving a backlog of 500 tons of waste, a challenge he said .was very overwhelming but could be managed as the AMA liaises with development partners for funding and expertise.
He bemoaned the practice of some Ghanaians dropping waste materials at prohibited places such as into gutters, walkways, streets, and at the backhouse of neighbours, instead of registering with the 10 waste management companies which are well resourced to properly dispose wastes in the country. This attitude of defiance, he noted, increases the excess 500 tons of wastes, and hinders the Assemblies resolve to attain a sustainable waste management system, just as other developed nations have done.
The Mayor also shared insights into policy initiatives and projects he has embarked on since being appointed into office in 2009. He noted for example, arrangements with the Netherlands Embassy to construct an engineered landfill site for proper waste management in the country, as well as the AMA’s affiliation to the 100 Resilient Cities, a community of pioneers and innovators ready to build urban resilience across the globe. Other projects mentioned included the ARMECH Ghana Waste to Energy Project, aimed at recycling municipal waste to be converted into bio-energy, the Legon Sewage Treatment Plant, the Rehabilitation and Expansion of the Mudor Sewage Treatment Plant, the desilting and dredging of Odaw channel, Korle Klottey Lagoon and removal of unauthorized structures along water ways to prevent incidence of flooding, a case in point being the 3rd June, 2015 disaster.
On the way forward, Dr. Okoe Vanderpuije said that challenges in the waste management sector were not insurmountable, but required leadership competence and bravery to make the right policy choices, and the political will to implement them. The AMA Boss stressed the need for Ghanaians to internalize hygiene habits such as clearing overgrown bushes around their surroundings, collecting waste materials into appropriate containers for disposal and keeping of drains and gutters clean to allow easy flow of excess flood water. He advised the general public to put a stop to the indiscriminate pollution since their actions have serious repercussions on the environment and human life. He also called for closer collaboration among government, industry, research and academic institutions as one of the regulatory interventions to address the waste challenge.
The Provost of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu in his remarks, said the lecture had raised important sanitation issues confronting individuals and the nation as a whole. He underscored the need for Ghanaians to reconsider waste management practices as a shared responsibility, and not to think that the sole obligation lies on the AMA, MMDAs and waste management companies. He noted that for the media to effectively change public attitudes, it should intensify sensitization through increased reportage on environmental issues.
Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu
Prof. Owusu expressed his gratitude to Hon. Dr. Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije for honouring the invitation and presented a citation to him for his meritorious and strong commitment to ensuring improved waste management in the Accra metropolis and the country in general.
There was an interactive session after the lecture where the audience had the opportunity to ask questions on issues raised in the lecture.
The Lecture which was attended by Deans and Directors and staff of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences and other members of the University community, officials and staff of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Students of the School of Hygiene, Korle-Bu, and the general public.
